Keep Backyard Bugs at Bay For Less -- Savings Experiment

Pests can keep you from enjoying the peacefulness of your backyard. Here are a few more safe and cost-effective ways to keep ants and other bugs away during the warm-weather months.

If the mosquitoes are eating you alive, try rubbing a few lemon or orange peels on your skin. The citrus oil and scent act as a natural repellent, and it works great for gnats too. If you don't have any fruit handy, a little vanilla extract or baby oil can also do the trick.

Another potent tool to have in your arsenal is lemon-eucalyptus spray. This natural mosquito, flea and tick repellent is government-approved for being just as effective as DEET. On top of that, you can easily make your own spray for around $2 a bottle.

Here's the recipe: Simply take a small spray bottle and fill it up halfway with distilled or boiled water. Next, fill up the rest of with some witch hazel from your local pharmacy. Then top it all off with 50 drops of lemon-eucalyptus oil, commonly found at most health food stores.

This solution is also safe for your skin – just dab a few drops on a cotton ball and apply. For those of you who don't want to deal with sprays and topical treatments, you can help keep the bugs away by using a candle warmer. These cost an average of $10-$15 at most big-box stores, and are really easy to use.

Just fill the top dish with a little water, add a few drops of essential oil, plug it in and let the heat naturally disperse the scented oil through the air. Just be sure to use insect-repelling oils like citronella, lavendar and lemon eucalptus for the best effect.

Before you spend money on overpriced bug sprays, give these safe and low-cost remedies a try. You'll keep your budget tight and the bugs at bay.

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